This article introduces plastic recycling networks in Kolkata, India, as a case to illustrate the contradictory entanglement of economic and environmental change in urban informal contexts of the Global South. In light of the prevailing environmental critique of informal plastic recycling in India, this article discusses plastic recyclers’ environmental impact and contribution as well as the potential

Dam‐related downstream adjustments of riverbeds are normally investigated by analysing the trend in sediment supply and high flow events during the pre‐ and post‐dam periods. The required data for existing predictive models is not measured at river gauges, which limits the application of these tools. We derived the frequency of sediment‐transporting streamflow events (T*) and upstream sediment supply

Near‐annual landscape‐scale fires in Indonesia's peatlands have caused severe air pollution, economic losses, and health impacts for millions of Southeast Asia residents. While the extent of fires across the peatland surface has been widely attributed to widespread peatland drainage for plantation agriculture, fires that transition from surface into sub‐surface soil‐based fires are the source of the

The tropical fruit durian in Southeast and East Asia has witnessed a surge in popularity in the past two decades to assume the rank of a fetishized commodity. This research investigates the construction of the multidimensional concept of terroir as applied to the durian economy of Penang, Malaysia based on personal interviews with orchard owners and state government officials to strategically embed

This article examines the interaction between conditions of vulnerability and a potato crop boom in Central Java's highlands. While partaking in agricultural endeavours on volcanic slopes can bring substantial economic rewards, the local benefits associated with these livelihood activities are often overlooked by disaster scholarship. Drawing on a period of fieldwork conducted in the Dieng Plateau

Being resilient in the face of climate change seems especially important for island societies, which face the effects of rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, changing wind patterns and sea level rise. To date, most studies of adaptation and resilience among Pacific island communities have used indicators and methods rooted in Western science and neo‐classical economics. These have been criticized

This study surveys the available English‐language literature and learning resources covering the field of Thai geography, and provides historical review of Thai geography education and an inventory of relevant, accessible materials for ASEAN and international undergraduate students, educators and researchers. We note that the discipline and context of Thai geography has shifted toward new technologies

Climate change adaptation (CCA) ‘barriers’ are frequently seen as responses to biophysical climate impacts, and thus defined as ‘obstacles’ to be ‘overcome’, rendered into categories of the techno‐managerial. However, barriers are often undertheorized and are blind to explanations of their origins or the causal mechanisms by which they operate. This is especially complex for barrier critiques in the

Slum eradication has been a concern in South Asian cities since the colonial times. Legislation and policies are being framed both out of national desires and international strategies. However, very little is being studied on how these legislation and policies come into being, specifically geography's influence in their formulation. The article analyses parliamentary debates from India (Rajya Sabha

Persimmons (Diospyros kaki) are trees cultivated under subtropical environmental conditions but are also found in other regions such as the Mediterranean. However, no research has been conducted to investigate soil erosion processes under Mediterranean soil management systems characterized by flood irrigation and/or tillage. The Improved Stock Unearthing Method (ISUM) for assessing long‐term soil mobilization

‘Kebun culture’ is a distinctive, emergent form of rural sensibility and social‐economic relations in Malaysia. As a contribution to theories of ‘planetary’ or thoroughgoing urbanization, the ethnographic evidence presented in the article illustrate a case of urban annexation of rurality, in which kebun (orchards) are detached from the social organization of rural villages and incorporated into urban‐centered

Recent strategies to address rural poverty and food insecurity in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Delta emphasize the scope for market‐based and smallholder‐led agricultural development to catalyze broader positive change for rural populations. This paper challenges the appropriateness of this development model for the Ayeyarwady Delta. Assumptions of latent growth potential among an emerging smallholder capitalist

This paper examines historical legacies left on the Mekong Delta's waterscape during French colonization in Vietnam and the implications this has had on the complex ways peri‐urban residents access water today for diverse purposes. French colonialism began constructing various transportation networks and extensive canal systems, all resulting in changes to farming village dynamics. Today, the Delta

Important environmental and economic changes are transforming livelihoods in coastal communes throughout the Mekong delta. In the process, the historical reliance on rice farming and fishing has become less viable and sustainable, forcing households to construct more complex livelihood strategies. To document these livelihood transformations, we have analyzed primary survey data from 346 households

Favourable climate forms a key resource in attracting tourists to tropical coastal destinations. Warm temperatures and clear skies are ideal conditions for tourists to spend long days on the beach and engage in outdoor activities. By contrast, rain, strong winds, high humidity and cloud cover serve as a deterrent. These factors influence tourists’ choice of destination, timing and duration of stay

Urban sprawl has become a global phenomenon as an outcome of growing population and rapid urbanization. Previous studies have addressed the rising incidence of uncontrollable urban development, particularly in peri‐urban areas of cities, leading to chronic urban sprawl. The city of Guwahati, a million city in north east India, has expanded significantly in recent years. In this article, the links between

In Singapore, owners of private housing estates reaping windfalls through collective sales have been subject to the news media's sensational coverage of the topic. While collective sales will give rise to new developments that regenerate the country's landscape to reflect the image and identity of an entrepreneurial city, efforts to resist this wealth generating urbanism are subject to erasure. Instances

In many developing world economies in recent years, the state has been seen to encourage neoliberal economic expansion policies. This has involved both large‐scale foreign corporations and sometimes large‐scale domestic corporations. Many studies have discussed the new landscapes of economic hardship and the impacts on small businesses. The aim of this paper is to argue that the impacts on small traders

We investigate the constraints on and forms of business change and how these shape collective dynamics in batik‐producing districts in Indonesia. Conceptually, this paper argues the need to incorporate insights regarding the constraints on, forms of change and segmentation of small businesses with those relating to the collective dynamics of industry agglomerations and the possibilities for policy

Dengue is currently the most important arboviral disease globally and is usually associated with built environments in tropical areas. Remotely sensed information can facilitate the study of urban mosquito-borne diseases by providing multiple temporal and spatial resolutions appropriate to investigate urban structure and ecological characteristics associated with infectious disease. In this study,

This article examines the interplay of changes in urban environments, economic reforms and women's strategies in sustaining family livelihood through a case study based on the survey of off-plot urban cultivators in Harare, Zimbabwe. It also exemplifies the nature of gender-based conflicts arising from varying perceptions of the uses of open urban spaces. This article is organized into four sections

The author examines circular labor migration in Fiji. "This paper is organized into five sections. The first section provides a brief discussion of two major perspectives of labour circulation in developing countries. The second section presents the state of the Fijian village in the context of the current pattern of uneven development in Fiji. The practice of labour circulation by Fijian villagers

Population characteristics of Brunei are examined, including ethnic composition, age and sex distribution, labor force participation, and occupational status. The author relates the population structure to the economic conditions in Brunei and discusses future implications for economic and social policy.

Problems concerning the resettlement of those made homeless by the construction of dams to create reservoirs in Thailand are considered. The authors attempt "firstly, to examine the rationale for spontaneous and planned resettlement in Thailand. Secondly, the determinants of the success or failure of resettlers are explored with reference to selected planned resettlement projects. Finally, resettlement

The effect of internal migration on rural populations in Central Java, Indonesia, is analyzed. The focus is on the relationship between the village and the outside world and how it affects the type and patterns of migration that occur. The data were collected in May 1985 in interviews with persons leaving or entering one village.

The author investigates the extent to which both absolute and relative poverty affect population growth in developing countries. Aggregate data from U.N. sources for 26 countries at various stages of the fertility transition are used. The results indicate that the most significant steps in reducing fertility would be more effective provision of basic human needs and reforms in land tenure. The need

An analysis of rural-urban migration in Thailand is presented, with particular reference to environmental and noneconomic factors such as physical accessibility, levels of external contact, and household density. Data are from a longitudinal study and a community-level survey conducted by the Institute of Population Studies at Chulalongkorn University in 1969 and 1972, together with additional data

Urbanization trends in Papua New Guinea are analyzed using official data from the 1971 and 1980 censuses. The author suggests that the massive urban population growth rate for 1966-1971 was a figment of post-enumeration miscalculation. However, the data indicate that the annual urban growth rate for the period 1971-1980 was nearly four times higher than the growth rate for the population as a whole

The characteristics of the elderly population of Hong Kong are first described. Recent changes in the spatial distribution of the elderly are also detailed. The spatial distribution and internal migration patterns of the elderly are shown to be very similar to those of the population as a whole. The problems posed by the fact that many of the elderly are poorly educated and lowly paid are considered

A demographic and spatial analysis of mortality in Freetown, Sierra Leone, is presented, with emphasis on data for the census years 1963 and 1974. Consideration is first given to the availability of data and their quality. The authors then examine geographic variations in mortality within the city, age- and sex-specific death rates, the major causes of death, and death certification.

An analysis of migration in developing countries is presented. The analysis concentrates on change at the individual level and the extent to which factors such as age, education, and length of residence can account for changes experienced by migrants in various migrant streams. The data concern Colombia and Thailand. The differences among migration streams between similar urban places, to large towns

This paper focuses on whether there is an organized structural pattern in the spatial distribution of oral contraceptive usage in rural Thailand and, if so, how this spatial pattern is linked to other related socioeconomic variables. The data concern the year 1975. The results suggest that the location of the health services infrastructure seems to have the most significant effect on the differences

This paper examines factors associated with Singapore's substantial decline in birth rate during the 1970 to 80 decade among Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnic groups. Through the use of graphs, tables and charts demographic tabulations in the areas of crude birth rates, female age distribution, nuptiality, marital fertility and family planning patterns are indicated. Data analyzed suggests that female

The implications of increasing urbanization in Southeast Asia are considered using U.N. projections of urban growth. Issues discussed include the urban bias in development, informal sector development, the provision of urban services, and urban poverty and inequality. Policy dilemmas are examined in terms of these issues and of the increasing internationalization of the urbanization experience and

The authors attempt to provide a comprehensive review of urbanization in three Melanesian countries (Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu) and in Fiji. The focus of the paper is on the development and perpetuation of various forms of inequality exemplified by Melanesian urbanization and its colonial origins.

This study is concerned with the dynamics of labor force composition in selected countries bordering the Pacific. The estimates presented are based on national definitions of urban and rural places and of the labor force and are derived primarily from published U.N. data. Variations in labor force composition and in urbanization levels by country are discussed. Countries considered include Canada,

Data collected in Colombia and Thailand in 1977 are used to "compare the employment and household characteristics of migrants before and after the move in order to assess the degree of change which accompanies migration. Moreover, these comparisons [are] made for migration streams between places at different levels in the urban hierarchy with the intention of determining within which streams the greatest

The author examines social and spatial aspects of internal migration in Puerto Rico. He presents a statistical and cartographic analysis of population change between 1940 and 1970 at the municipio level, followed by a more refined analysis of selected population characteristics. Emphasis is on the socioeconomic correlates of migration

The authors use 1974 survey data from three marginal communities in the city of Limon, Costa Rica, to examine the propensity of settlers in such communities to move voluntarily. In particular, the concept of residential satisifaction is examined and refined

The author describes the role of population pressure in the current transition from tree crops to wet rice cultivation (sawah) in Northwestern Kalimantan, Indonesia. He contends that this change is occurring "because the senescent trees no longer produce enough commodities to exchange for rice to feed an enlarged population." The historical background is described, policies of the Indonesian government

Singapore is alleged to be a key node in global flows of e-waste prohibited under the Basel Convention. We combine a close reading of the Convention and related documents with findings from nonparticipant observation of and interviews with Singapore-based traders of discarded electronics. The case offers both important conceptual and empirical findings for future studies of territory in market-making